PASTA CARBONARA
PG tested
The best pastas often have the most simple sauces. Carbonara has just a handful of ingredients, and comes together in minutes. The rich tangle of pasta, pancetta, grated cheese and egg is incredibly satisfying, as well as filling. All you need to complete the meal is a green salad and some good, crusty bread.
It’s crucial that the pasta is hot when you pour it into the sauce pan because that’s what gently cooks the eggs into a rich and creamy sauce.
Carbonara is typically served with spaghetti, but my pasta machine only has a linguine setting. No one minded.
½ pound pancetta or slab bacon, cut into strips
4 garlic cloves 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup dry white wine 2 large eggs
¼ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1¼ pounds fresh egg pasta (recipe follows)
Cut pancetta or bacon into strips not quite ¼-inch thick.
Lightly mash the garlic with a knife handle, enough to spit it and loosen the skin, which needs to be discarded. Put the garlic and olive oil into a small saute pan and turn on the heat to medium high. Saute until garlic turns deep gold. Remove from pan and discard.
Place pancetta or bacon into the pan, and cook until they begin to crisp at the edges. Add wine, let it bubble away or 1 or 2 minutes, then turn off heat.
Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.
Break the eggs into the serving bowl in which you’ll be tossing the pasta. Beat them lightly with a fork, then add the two grated cheeses, a liberal grinding of pepper and the chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. Add drained pasta to the bowl with cheese sauce, and toss rapidly, coating the strands well. Briefly reheat the pancetta or bacon over high heat, turn out the entire contents of pan into the bowl, toss thoroughly again and serve at once.
Serves 6.
— “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan (Alfred A. Knopf; 2012) Homemade Egg Pasta
Fresh pasta will keep up to three days in the refrigerator
wrapped in plastic. It also freezes beautifully and will last up to a month in the freezer.
2¼ cups all-purpose flour 4 large eggs
Combine flour and eggs in bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and mix on low speed until a ball of dough forms.
Continue to knead for 3 minutes, either by hand or in the mixer, so that the dough develops elasticity and silkiness.
Cover the ball of dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before using. Alternatively, you can let the dough rest for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Cut the dough into quarters and press flat. Run each piece of pasta dough several times through a pasta-rolling machine, adjusting the setting each time, until the pasta is about ⅛-inch thick. Cut the pasta into the desired shape and use as needed. Or roll out pasta by hand. Cut the chilled dough into quarters and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until ⅛-inch thick.